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Samsung Galaxy S5: 5 things you need to know

Samsung’s Galaxy S5 was undoubtedly the biggest deal on the Mobile World Congress (MWC) show floor.

The hype leading up to its launch was massive and while it didn’t meet all expectations, it has shown that Samsung is still pushing the barriers with swanky new specs and beefed up security.

In short, this a is a phone that will sell in the millions.

But what about the finer details?

Read on and we’ll tell you five key things you need to know about the Galaxy S5.

Giving you perfect pub ammo and ensuring you know what’s what if you’re planning on upgrading.

1 Video smarts in a rock solid package

Samsung, like Sony, knows that the world is slowly making the shift to 4K video.

The Galaxy S5's camera can shoot in this new, high–end standard, offering eyeball–stroking clips of your cat taking a spill off of the back of the sofa.

This top notch tech, however, doesn’t make the S5 fragile.

Like Sony’s Xperia Z range, the Galaxy S5 is dust and waterproof, making it perfect for taking out and about without fear it’ll stop working the moment you drop it in a puddle.

So, as well as those cat clips, this is also a phone for adventurers and outdoor types.

2 Fitness focused

Fitness fanatics are getting all the love at the moment. After years of great, niche kit, mainstream players are finally including top–end tracking smarts in their devices.

The Galaxy S5 comes with a pedometer, native fitness tracking and, best of all, a dedicated heart rate monitor.

Simply tap your finger on the sensor next to the phone’s flash and you’ll be able to take a reading, shown clearly in the S Health 3.0 app.

Sammy knows Apple is beavering away on its own HealthBook app for iOS 8 and it wants to be first to the party. This is a great effort.

3 Fingerprint protection

The swipe–based fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S5 is a very different beast to Apple’s home button Touch ID on the iPhone 5S.

It allows you to register three different fingerprints and you’ll need to swipe eight times in order to register each digit.

The idea is to beef up protection for your phone, but interestingly, Samsung has said it’s going to allow third party developers to use the tech too.

That could mean swiping for payments or unlocking secure areas of apps.

Apple has baulked at making such a move, wary of sharing such unique data with others. Samsung will need to explain carefully how it will protect fingerprints before such apps roll out.

4 Security to the fore

Although allowing fingerprint access to third parties is bold, Samsung has at least moved to improve threats from malware and other attacks with its Knox 2.0 software.

This comes as standard on the Galaxy S5.

It has its own Knox Marketplace app store, serving up 150 different business apps which are all cleared to work securely on the device. It’s aimed at enterprise users, fearful of Android’s nagging reputation for dodgy software.

5 No metal jacket

The only real miss here. The 16-megapixel camera and stunning screen might impress, but the fact Samsung insists on using ruggedised plastic for its flagship phone still means it lacks the premium feel of the iPhone 5s and even the HTC One.

Word is it’s readying a metal version, called the Galaxy F, for release later in the spring.

Why bother? Surely it could have added a metal chassis to its most recognisable device and won over heaps more consumers.

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